A Busy Summer in Singapore, Jabalpur,
New Delhi, and Kathmandu

A summer of demanding journeys and tightly packed schedules took United Board delegates from Singapore to Jabalpur, New Delhi, and Kathmandu. The miles and effort were rewarded by renewed friendships, new connections and inspiring encounters with educators and institutions committed to transforming lives through higher education.

Summit in Singapore

Forty-two institutional leaders from 12 countries and regions gathered at Singapore Management University in July for the United Board’s 2026 Heads of Institutions program. Under the theme “Leading the Next Decade of Christian Higher Education in Asia,” the program combined a Higher Education Leadership Summit on July 3–4 with a Leadership Strategy Institute on July 6–9.

The summit brought together 40 leaders to consider the future of higher education in Asia, the opportunities and risks presented by artificial intelligence, institutional sustainability, emerging business models and strategic governance. Alumni of the 2024 program joined the discussions, strengthening the network across cohorts and demonstrating the value of continued peer learning. Participants also learned more about the United Board’s wider programs and explored opportunities for their faculty and staff to engage with its leadership development initiatives.

The Strategy Institute enabled 21 heads to examine financial leadership, higher education ecosystems, strategic thinking, institutional transformation and psychological safety in greater depth. Intensive and interactive sessions encouraged them to exchange ideas and identify practical approaches to advancing their institutions.

One delectable outcome was the signing of the “Declaration of Climate-Responsive and Sustainable Campuses” by all 21 participating institutions. The declaration expressed their shared commitment to embedding environmental responsibility in the leadership and development of Christian higher education institutions. Participants also celebrated the sustainability achievements of St. Aloysius (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, as an example that could inspire further action across the network.

Seeing a Partnership’s Multiplier Effect in Jabalpur

United Board President Dr. Pareena Gupta Lawrence and Dr. Sandra Joseph, Senior Program and Assessment Officer, visited St. Aloysius College (Autonomous), Jabalpur, on August 27 as the institution celebrated its 75th anniversary. As chief guest at the Gold Medal Award Ceremony, Dr. Lawrence encouraged students, especially young women, to recognize their leadership potential, move beyond their comfort zones and take bold initiatives. She reminded the awardees that achievement is sustained by parents, teachers, friends and mentors, and carries a responsibility to society.

The visit also offered an opportunity to review a decade of partnership between St. Aloysius College and the United Board. Since 2016, more than 30 faculty members have participated in United Board programs, contributing to the college’s faculty development, service-learning and student development initiatives.

Particularly striking was the partnership’s multiplier effect. Faculty who had benefited directly from United Board programs have shared their learning with 60 sister schools in and around Jabalpur, reaching more than 500 teachers. These teachers described how the training had enriched their professional development and classroom practice, demonstrating how an investment in individuals can strengthen institutions and extend into wider educational communities.

In conversations with faculty and students, Dr. Lawrence explored whole person education, the changing role of faculty, experiential learning, artificial intelligence, employability, global exposure and student well-being. She compared the United Board’s work to planting saplings whose eventual reach cannot always be foreseen. The visit provided a vivid example of how sustained partnership can produce impact far beyond its original participants.

Rethinking Higher Education in New Delhi

Over 40 senior faculty and academic leaders from Christian higher education institutions across India gathered in New Delhi on August 28–30 for “Academic Leadership and Innovation,” a workshop organized by the All India Association for Christian Higher Education (AIACHE) with the support and participation of the United Board.

Designed as a journey from clarity of purpose to strategic planning, academic renewal and action, the workshop addressed, among other things, curriculum reform, research culture, innovation, the ethical use of artificial intelligence, and student engagement. These concerns were considered in relation to the distinctive mission and social responsibility of Christian higher education.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Lawrence encouraged participants to look beyond conventional measures of institutional success and ask three deeper questions: “What is education for? What kind of institution are we called to become? Whom do we serve?” She also highlighted the strength of networks such as AIACHE, through which institutions can share knowledge, pool resources and learn across different contexts.

United Board colleagues contributed to the workshop’s practical focus. Dr. Joseph presented frameworks for building a research culture grounded in curiosity, mentoring, integrity, collaboration and societal contribution. Dr. David Johns, Senior Consultant, and Dr. Anita Tiphagne, Program Officer for Partnerships and Alumni Network, led sessions on student engagement and leadership in action, urging institutions to listen seriously to students and prepare them “for their future, not our past.”

Participants concluded by identifying concrete institutional, departmental, curricular, research and personal leadership commitments. The workshop renewed a longstanding United Board–AIACHE partnership and affirmed a shared purpose: to turn leadership learning into institutional change that serves students and communities.

New Ties in Kathmandu

From August 31 to September 1, Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Tiphagne, Fr. Tomy Augustine Kumplankal, rector of Salesian College, visited Kathmandu. The visit marked the United Board’s first step towards expanding its institutional network in Nepal.

At St. Xavier’s College, Kathmandu, the team met the principal Fr. Augustine Thomas Amakkatt, faculty members and students. The Jesuit institution has served Nepal for 26 years and enrols more than 3,500 students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Its connection with the United Board began through participation in the Whole Person Education Leadership program in Manila, as well as United Board webinars and courses on artificial intelligence attended by faculty members.

Discussions introduced the college more fully to the United Board’s mission and programs. St. Xavier’s welcomed the invitation to take part in future opportunities, opening the way for a relationship that could support faculty development, whole person education and institutional leadership while connecting Nepalese educators with peers across Asia.

The team also visited Don Bosco School and Don Bosco Technical Institute and met Catholic sisters from Korea working in Nepal. These encounters offered perspectives on the needs of students and communities and the challenges facing educators. The visitors also heard moving accounts of people affected by recent flooding, underscoring the close relationship between education, community resilience and service.

By listening first and building relationships, the visit laid a promising foundation for the United Board’s engagement in Nepal and for future collaboration with St. Xavier’s College.